Archive Grows with NASA Nostalgia

Former NASA engineer Scott Frisch ’78, of Fort Lauderdale, recently donated a collection of space history materials to the Evans Library, establishing the Scott Frisch Special Collection.

The collection includes technical manuals authored by Frisch, NASA memorabilia and interior photos of shuttles, among other items.

“After watching the first moon landing on television, I developed an insatiable thirst for knowledge about space exploration and its technology,” said Frisch. “Before ultimately attending Florida Tech, I had amassed a sizable collection of public domain literature about past and future space programs from many organizations.”

“I am donating my collection and other papers from my early life achievements in the hopes that future Florida Tech graduates can be equally inspired to success based on the historical significance of our space programs’ beginnings,” he said.

His generosity is already making an impact.

Delroy Rebello, a graduate student in electrical engineering, is the Scott Frisch Scholar, a college roll position funded by Frisch to organize and inventory the collection. Rebello said the collection holds great value for aerospace, electrical and mechanical engineering students, who can review documentation about various NASA rocket engines (1959–84), including architecture and telemetry.

“One of the most interesting parts of the collection are Scott’s own notes,” said Rebello. “He describes the mathematics at work in a very easy-to-understand way. This collection is a great resource for Florida Tech students.”